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Construction Looking Forward 2011-2019

The economic recovery in Alberta is well underway and employment is expected to be back to peak levels by 2012.

Employment growth is forecast to continue in the oilsands. With high oil prices and an increase in global oil demand it is not surprising that operators have been aggressively initiating new projects and accelerating plans for expansion of existing projects.

The housing construction sector will continue to recover through 2014, resulting in an increase in demand for bricklayers, carpenters and other related trades people.

The Construction Sector Council (CSC), a national industry-led organization committed to the development of a highly skilled workforce, has just released their annual Construction Looking Forward forecast for Alberta, which offers a detailed nine-year scenario of workforce supply and demand by trade in the Province.

With the continuing changes in Canada's demographics, these forecasts may help you pro-actively manage your workforce requirements. It is expected that attracting and retaining construction workers will get progressively more challenging in the next several years. As a result, the construction sector will increasingly have to turn to skilled foreign workers and immigrants to make up the shortfall and meet staffing needs required to carry out capital and maintenance projects, both residential and non-residential.

To read the CSC’s full assessment of construction labour markets for Alberta from 2011 to 2019 please click here.